In order to transport a watercraft from one body of water to another, or between a body of water and a storage location, trailers that can be hitched to a motorized wheeled vehicle are often used. Typically, the trailer is backed down a ramp (either man-made or natural) at least partially into the water. The watercraft is then driven onto the trailer such that the watercraft sits on support structures of the trailer. Finally, the trailer and watercraft are pulled out of the water using the motorized vehicle.
In most such trailers, the watercraft is guided and aligned onto the trailer by the support structures which are adapted to engage the hull of the watercraft. These structures can consist of one or more beams or rollers.
One of the inconveniences with such an arrangement is that if the trailer is not low enough in the water, the watercraft will rest on the support structures before being fully on the trailer. On the other hand, if the trailer is too low in the water, the watercraft will float above the support structures which will therefore not provide any guidance for the watercraft.
Once the watercraft is supported on the trailer, to get off the watercraft the driver and passengers (if applicable) of the watercraft need to make their way to the front of the watercraft before stepping down therefrom so as to be in shallow water or on land. However, depending on the type of watercraft, this is not always possible. For example, in the case of personal watercraft, the forward end of the watercraft provides no area where someone could safely step. Therefore, in such watercraft, the driver and passengers (if applicable) need to get off the side of the watercraft where the water level is relatively high, which is inconvenient. The alternative is to wait until the trailer and watercraft are pulled out of the water, which can also be inconvenient.
Therefore, there is a need for a watercraft trailer having features for guiding a watercraft onto the trailer.
There is also a need for a watercraft trailer which facilitates getting on and off a watercraft once the watercraft is supported by the trailer.